1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a network management method that a management data about a plurality of devices provides a device list arranged in order and displayed for every device in management of a network device, a network management device providing the device list and a program to provide the device list.
2. Related Background Art
Computers can be interconnected via local area network (LAN). A Local Area Network may be interconnected to incorporate systems covering one floor of a building or a whole building, a building group (premises), region or bigger area. Some of the greatest examples reach international system. Each LAN may be equipped with various hardware interconnection technology and many network protocols.
Simple LAN separated from others can be managed by an individual user. This means that a user can exchange a device, install software or diagnose problems.
On the other hand, complicated LAN of large-scale and interconnected big LAN groups need “management”. Generally “management” means both management by human network device manager and management by the software that managers employ. In this application specification, “management” means management by software to manage a whole system, and “users” mean persons employing network device management software. The users in this case are usually system administrators. Users get management data on network by using network device management software, and can change the data.
Large-scale network system is generally a dynamic system that needs to perform continuous extension of devices and removal, updating of software and detection of problems and so on. Generally there can be various systems that are owned by various people, and are supplied by various manufacturers.
Description on one example of conventional large-scale network in need of management will be done as follows.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example that network board (NB)101 for a printer to be connected to network is connected to printer 102 comprising open type architecture. NB101 is connected to Local Area Network (LAN)100 over Ethernet interface 10 Base-2 comprising coaxial connector and LAN interface of 10 Base-T comprising RJ-45.
A plurality of personal computers PC 103, PC 104 (PC) etc. illustrated is also connected to LAN 100 and these PCs can communicate with NB101 under control of network operating system. Therefore, one of PCs, for example, PC 103 may be used for the purpose of network device management. In addition, a local printer such as for example printer 105 connected with PC 104 may be connected to each PC.
File server 106 is connected to LAN 100 and this file server 106 manages access to files stored in network disk 107 of large capacity (for example, 10 billion bytes).
Print server 108 orders printing to plural printers 109 connected or a printer of the 105 etc. in a remote place. In addition, other various peripheral devices (not illustrated) may be connected to LAN 100.
WWW server 150 is also connected to LAN 100. HTML documents generated by means of network device management software installed in WWW server 150 are displayed in WWW browser installed in PC 103, and printer setup made in WWW browser on PC 103 is transmitted to specific printers through the network device management software on WWW server 150.
Network shown in FIG. 6 in more detail may employ various network software such as software of Novell Inc. or software of UNIX in order to communicate efficiently among various network members. Although it is also possible to use any network software, the NetWare (registered trademark of Novell Inc., and is notation abbreviation hereinafter) software of Novell Inc., for example, may be used. Detailed description with regard to this software package is described by on-line documentation bundled with NetWare packages. This documentation can be purchased along with NetWare packages from Novell Inc.
Briefly, a file server 106 will play a role of the file management section that performs reception of files, storage, queuing, cache operation, and transmission between LAN members. For example, data files generated by each of PC 103 and PC 104 is sent to file server 106 and the file server 106 sets these data files in sequence. Subsequently the arranged data files are transmitted to one of printers 109 according to command from print server 108.
PC 103 and PC 104 comprise general PC. This PC may perform generating of data files, sending of generated data files to LAN 100, and receiving of files from LAN 100, and moreover may display and/or process these files. Although personal computer (PC) is shown in FIG. 6 as computer equipment, other computer equipment may be included that seem to be appropriate to carry out network software. For example, UNIX workstation may be included in network when UNIX software is employed. These workstations (WS) can be used with PC currently illustrated under a suitable situation.
Usually, LAN as LAN 100 services to comparatively local users group of a one floor in one building or users group in a sequence of a plurality of number floors.
For example, in the case where a certain user is separated from other users, that is, for example, a user is in other buildings or in other prefectures, Wide Area Network (WAN) may also be built. Basically WAN is an aggregate formed by some LANs being connected in high-speed digital network of Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN). Therefore, as is shown in FIG. 6, LAN 100, LAN 110 and LAN 120 are interconnected together through modems/transponders 130a, 130b and backbone 140 resulting in formation of WAN 600.
Each LAN may include exclusive PC and there may be file servers and print servers if needed. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, LAN 110 includes PC 111, PC 112, a file server 113, a network disk 114, a print server 115 and a printer 116. Contrastively, LAN 120 includes only PC 121 and PC 122. LAN 100, LAN 110, and equipment connected to LAN 120 can access the function of equipment connected to other LAN.
Some trials and methods to manage device on such network to compose large-scale network system are performed in many standard organizations until now. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has provided a general-purpose base framework as referred to as Open System Interconnection (OSI) model between open type systems. OSI model of network device management protocol is referred to as Common Management Information Protocol (CMIP). CMIP is European common network device management protocol.
In addition, in recent years there is a giant protocols with relation to CMIP as referred to as Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) as a network device management protocol with higher commonality. (“THE SIMPLE BOOK An Introduction to Management of TCP/IP-based Internets” by Marshall T. Rose. Japanese translation by Takeshi Nishida, published by TOPPAN Printing C., Ltd. An Aug. 20, 1992 first edition.)
According to this SNMP network device management technique, at least one network device management station (NMS), management target nodes that each include agents and network device management protocol employed so that management station and agents exchange administrative information are included in network device management system. By communicating with agent software on nodes for management using network device management software on NMS, users can obtain the data on network and can change the data.
Here, agent means software that runs as background process on each target equipment. When a user demands a management data from the equipment on networks, management software will put object identification information into management packets or frames, and will send them out to target agent. The agent interprets this object identification information, takes out the data corresponding to this object identification information and puts the taken-out data into packets and returns them to the user. Occasionally, a corresponding process may be called in order to take out the data.
In addition, agents store management data with regard to the status in the form of a database. This Data Base is referred to as MIB (Management Information Base). MIB has data structure of tree structure and all nodes are uniquely numbered. This identification data of the node is referred to as object identification data (Object Identifier).
This structure of MIB is referred to as Structure of Management Information (SMI) and is prescribed by RFC 1155 Structure and Identification of management Information for TCP/IP-based Internets by IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force).
In addition, in this application specification, a management data of network device and information assigned to object identification data of MIB (MIB information) have an equivalent meaning.
SNMP protocol will be briefly described next. PC (henceforth manager) with which network device management utility software is operating, and the network device for management (henceforth agent) to which the SNMP agent is operating communicates each other using SNMP protocols. SNMP protocols have five commands, and each is referred to as Get-request, Get-next-request, Get-response, Set-request, Trap respectively.
Get-request and Get-next-request are commands sent out from a manager to an agent, in order that a manager may obtain the value (MIB information) of an agent's MIB object. The agent that received this Get-request and Get-next-request command sends out Get-response command to manager in order to notify the manager of values of MIB object.
Set-request command is a command sent out to agent by manager so that the manager sets up values of MIB object of the agent. The agent that received this command sends out Get-response command to the manager in order to notify the manager of the setup result.
Trap command is a command sent out to the manager by the agent so that the agent notifies of change of own status to the manager.
An SNMP agent works on each PC and network board (NB)101 connected with printer 102. As for the network device management software to work as an SNMP manager, systems working on PC are known well. However, as in recent years internet spreads, exclusive network device management software does not work on each client PC, but systems are proposed where network device management software works on servers, and, in addition, WWW (World Wide Web) is used as user interface.
FIG. 7 is referred to next, and brief description on operation of general WWW system and operation on SNMP control program based on WWW system will be described.
WWW server program 1051 works in PC 150, and a lot of WWW page data described by means of HTML (WWW document itself or templates to generate WWW document) are stored in discs (not illustrated) of PC 150.
WWW browser program 1031 working on PC 103 requires acquisition of specified pages to WWW server program 1051 working on PC 160 in order to display a page specified by users.
WWW server program 1051 returns specified page data as response to the request from the WWW browser program 1031. WWW browser program 1031 analyzes obtained page data and the page is displayed according to the description.
In the case where request via CGI (Common Gateway Interface) is included in page acquisition request from WWW browser program 1031, WWW server program 1051 starts external script and program by the CGI predetermined method, subsequently receives page data to reply to request from WWW browser program 1031 and returns the received page data to WWW browser program 1031. In addition, external script and program started by CGI generate page data depending on request from WWW browser program 1031.
Description on the case that the external program started by CGI is corresponding to the network device management software of technical field of the present application will be given next.
The network device management program 1052 started by the WWW server program 1051 using CGI obtains a management data from device connected to networks using SNMP, for example, a printer 102. Network device management program 1052 generates pages described by HTML based on obtained management data (henceforth HTML document) and returns them to WWW server program 1051. Information with regard to the printer based on management data is shown in this page described by HTML for each a plurality of printers searched for by networks.